


Snowball Greetings

by EmeraldSage



Series: The Holiday Collection [17]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, Prompt Day 17: Snowball Fight, RusAmeHoliday, Snowball Fight, first snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8881366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldSage/pseuds/EmeraldSage
Summary: RusAme Holiday Prompt #17: Snowball Fight





	

**Author's Note:**

> [In honor of the light snow and the wintry mix that brushed DC in shades of white this morning ☺]

            “Honestly, Alfred,” Arthur sighed, as he shifted the ice pack more firmly against the bump on his head. Alfred winced, “you two constantly provoke each other. Was there really a need to use snowballs filled with ice?”

            Arthur’s grip tightened on his shoulder, and he bit back a yelp as his thumb pressed neatly into a killer bruise developing right on the wrong side of his shoulder blade.

            He was referring to the snowball fight that had erupted between the nations only an hour into their December monthly meeting. One of the warmer nations had caught sight of the snow falling outside and pointed it out in glee. Several other nations took the interruption of the boring monologue by who-knows standing at the podium, and dashed outside to take in the sight, ignoring Germany’s outraged protests to order.

            Snow in D.C., while not totally unseen, was actually pretty rare. So the nations had spilled out of their hotel’s conference room to the scene of grown adults – many in business suits amongst others – and a _ton_ of backpack laden college students slipping, sliding and cartwheeling through the snow and the ice. They’d watched, startled, at the sight of people shedding precious dignity and sprawling amongst each other in the white fluff all around them, grinning childishly and laughing, filled with joy.

            And apparently, that joy had been contagious.

            No one knew who had thrown that first, gleeful snowball, but no one would forget the priceless expression that had slipped onto China’s face the moment someone pelted him with a face-full of white fluffy snow.

            Of course, a glee-filled free for all seemed to be just what all the nations had needed to relax and release all the tension that had built up over the year. Until someone nailed Russia – who’d been watching the chaos in tolerant amusement – with a particularly well packed snowball, and the entire scene froze. And turned. And yeah, it had been pretty expected that _America_ would’ve been the one to throw a frozen slush missile at Russia.

            The nations scattered as the tension relief of the snowball fight turned into an all out war between the two superpowers, until someone intervened on either side, hauling the two away from each other after almost half an hour of intensive throwing.

            And, well, their injuries would’ve sent them to the hospital’s intensive care unit if they hadn’t been nations. As it was, they would have some pretty nasty bruises, and would be pretty sore for the next few days. C’est la vie.

            Arthur pressed the ice pack down harder on one of the bumps on his head, and he barely bit back a yelp. He twisted around a caught the edge of a smirk his old caretaker was wearing, and pout/glared at the elder nation. He got a laugh in return.

            At least _someone_ was enjoying himself.

* * *

            Arthur kicked him out of the car when they’d reached the curve for his neighborhood, claiming he didn’t want to risk the potential black ice that settled itself on his streets with a measure of inescapable regularity. It was a good reason, but he still pouted as he made his way down the street from where Arthur had dropped him on the curbside.

            At least, he _was_ …until a snowball from behind sent him slipping on a patch of ice he’d been about to step around, and, thankfully, sprawling into the snow bank on his side (rather than the cold icy sidewalk in front of him). For a second, his mind blanked out, stunned. Then, the sound of familiar laughter echoed in his head, and his pulse ignited.

            _I’m **so** gonna get you for that, you ass_.

            Patience, though; he had to remember his patience. So, as he appeared to struggle to get up from the snowy bank that had risen up to embrace him, he’d curled a hand into the fluffy crystals.

            “Is America having a hard time in the cold snow?” a mocking voice sounded from behind, with something amused coloring the tone.

            He felt his lips curl into a gleeful snarl, and he laughed. Waited until he could hear almost soundless footsteps come just an _inch closer, so close_ …and laughed again.

            “You _wish_ ,” and he lobbed the snowball right into the other’s face. Startled, but not unprepared, the other nation stumbled backwards, and only barely avoided a patch of ice that would have sent him careening into the other side of the snow bank, and possibly on the still yet-to-be cleared road.

            But Ivan hadn’t toppled over, and instead, planted himself firmly on the non-slippery parts of the sidewalk, and reached down to scoop up another handful of snow as America scrambled to stand up straight without tripping over. He dodged the packed snow missile from the larger nation, before returning with one of his own.

            They hopped, skipped, and jumped across half of his neighborhood, grabbing the fluffy snow crystals from wherever they could manage it. Ivan had snagged some of the off-road stuff, the hard shit with ice and grit mixed into it, and pelted it at him. His inability to dodge that one had left him with what he was sure was going to be a _nasty_ bruise on his already aching ribs. He’d volleyed back the icy filled snow from around a neighbor’s lamppost. He knew it’d hit when he heard the bitten off swear.

            Only, what he hadn’t noticed, and he was sure Ivan hadn’t noticed, was how close they were getting as the tripped and trapped each other from across the sidewalk. It was only when he’d ducked a snowball to the face but instead got an icy one to the gut, and proceeded to slip on a patch of ice he’d stumbled onto, that he realized.

            And by that, he meant he realized how close they were because instead of toppling into the sidewalk, he toppled onto the other nation, sending them both sprawling into the yielding snow bank.

            Before his mind could even begin to contemplate his position, arms clamped around him, one circled possessively around his waist and wound around his back and shoulders to keep him pressed against the other. He could feel the snow soaking into the knees of his slacks as he straddled the other in the middle of the off-road snow bank. They both glanced at each other, taking in each other’s position, at the same time, before bursting into laughter.

            His laughter was abruptly cut off with a yelp as he was effortlessly lifted off the ground when Ivan stood. He wrapped his legs around the other’s waist tightly, before winding his arms around the man’s neck, careful not to pull too hard on the scarf. The arms around his waist were tight, confining, but they’d kept him steady as the other man moved away from the indent in the snow where they’d fallen. He glanced around, curious, and his face blanked.

            They were in front of his house.

            He huffed. So, there had been a method to the other’s madness.

            Ivan and his ridiculously attractive level of strength – despite Alfred’s ability to match it and more – carried him (and refused to put him down) all the way to his front door, and almost didn’t let him down when he had to unlock the door.

            “You could have just asked, you know?” he asked rhetorically, after he’d been dropped off inside, and laughed when he saw the flush rise on the other’s cheeks.

            _Yeah, he knew_.


End file.
